1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to adhesive bandages and, more particularly, to arrangements that facilitate dispensing adhesive bandages to a user.
2. Description of Related Art
One ubiquitous type of adhesive bandage includes a strip of material, typically plastic or cloth, with an adhesive on one side. A gauze pad is disposed on the same side as the adhesive, and a release liner covers the adhesive side of the strip material and the gauze pad. The entire bandage is enclosed in a package that maintains sterility until it is opened by the user. The bandage is then applied by removing the release liner, positioning the gauze pad over a wound, and adhering the adhesive side of the strip to the skin. Familiar examples of this type of pre-packaged adhesive bandage are sold by Johnson & Johnson as Band-Aid® adhesive bandages and Tyco Healthcare Group as Curity® adhesive bandages.
By their nature, that is, because they are individually pre-packaged, these types of adhesive bandages are available only in predetermined sizes. As a result, these pre-packaged bandages are only sold loose in boxes. This is acceptable for a great many uses, but in some circumstances it can be inconvenient to access a bandage when one is needed. The prior art includes many alternative bandage packaging/dispensing systems and devices, some typical examples being shown in the following references:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,530,494U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,342U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,586U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,477U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,522U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,140U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,761U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,689U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,786U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,343U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,018U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,876U.S. Pat. No. 7,694,816U.S. Pub. No. 2009/0039100
Many of these patents eliminate the package enclosing the adhesive bandage and adhere it directly to an elongated release liner strip. The release liner with the bandages secured to it is then wound into a roll or accordion-folded, and the bandages are dispensed by incrementally feeding the strip. This type of dispensing system is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,350,494, 4,993,586, 5,133,477, 5,271,522, 5,358,140, 5,511,689, 6,213,343, and 6,299,018. A variation in which individual bandages are attached end to end to form a strip that is wound into a roll is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,735,342 and No. 5,782,786. While some users may deem these arrangements more convenient to use than a box of loose bandages, they all require specially manufacturing the bandage roll or strip, which adds to their cost. U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2009/0039100 discloses a device that dispenses individual adhesive bandages one at a time from a stack within the device. The bandages are not packaged and this system appears to pose a risk of compromising the sterility of the bandages, and the user must still load the device with loose bandages.
Another shortcoming of existing adhesive bandages of the type discussed above is the property that makes them convenient in many settings in the first place. That is, they are pre-packaged for ease of use, but are thus available only in certain sizes and shapes. However, sometimes a wound will have a size and/or shape that does not lend itself to being dressed by the available sizes of pre-packaged adhesive bandages. There are patents that disclose devices for dispensing from a roll user-determined lengths of medical bandages. Examples are U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,240,876 and 7,694,816. However, these devices do not dispense adhesive bandages of the type under consideration here.